New 2021 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack and Estate spotted

The next Volkswagen Golf Estate has been caught on camera again, this time alongside its off-road inspired Alltrack sibling. Both models are almost completely undisguised – and both should make their official debuts towards the end of this year.

Up front, the standard Golf Estate is identical to the new Mk8 hatchback – but the Alltrack variant features a range of rugged styling cues such as a faux sump guard, tweaked bumper inlets and subtly redesigned LED headlamps.

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The makeover continues across the rest of the car, with the Alltrack model getting broader side skirts, new roof rails, an aluminium undertray for the rear bumper and an increased ride-height, which should allow the estate to tackle an occasional spot of soft off-roading.

New 2020 Volkswagen Golf estate: platform and powertrains

The new Golf Estate will be based on an extended version of the Volkswagen Group’s ever-present MQB underpinnings which, along with the bodywork revisions, should increase the car’s boot capacity to around 600 litres – or around 220 litres more than the hatchback.

Volkswagen will offer the same range of engines found in the hatchback for the standard estate. The line-up will kick off with either a 128bhp or 148bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol, climb through a pair of 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesels and top out with a 328bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol for the R variant. Somewhere in the middle of the line-up, there should also be a plug-in hybrid GTE model, with 242bhp.

However, like the previous-generation model, we expect the new Golf Alltrack will only be available with diesel power. Buyers should have their choice of either a manual or automatic gearbox and either front- or four-wheel-drive.

New 2020 Volkswagen Golf estate: interior and equipment

As standard, the Golf Estate should come with front and rear parking sensors, electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors and keyless start, along with lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and a dynamic road sign display system.

Inside, there’ll be an equally extensive amount of kit, with buyers getting a 10.25-inch digital instrument binnacle, a wireless smartphone charger, a 10-colour customisable ambient lighting system and a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with sat-nav, voice control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

New 2020 Volkswagen Golf estate: pricing

Volkswagen is yet to confirm prices for the new Golf Estate but, like the previous-generation model, we expect it’ll carry a £1,200 premium over the hatchback. As such, prices for the mid-range Golf Estate in the entry-level Life trim of the hatchback model should start from around £25,000, while the more lavishly equipped Style variant should start from around £27,000.

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